A tender love story, a serpentine villainess, a glittering setting in London society, and a showering of Wildean witticism are only a few of the reasons why this play has enjoyed hugely successful revivals in London, in New York, and on the silver screen. This 1895 drama is eerily prescient, as it examines the plight of a promising politician, desperate to hide a secret in his past. With empathy and wit, Oscar Wilde explores the pitfalls of holding public figures to higher standards than the rest of us.

Lady Windermere's Fan

By:
Oscar Wilde

Narrated by:
Samuel West,
Michael Sheen,
Derek Waring,
and others

Length: 1 hr and 37 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
42

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
30

Story

4 out of 5 stars
31

Oscar Wilde's first play confronts the hypocrisy of public "morality" compared with genuine, private kindness. The reasons for its continued popularity are not difficult to identify: the play's witty dialogue contains many of Wilde's most quoted aphorisms, its stylish setting provides opportunities for elegant presentation, and its cast of memorable characters play out a story which is genuinely moving. This new audio production brings together a full cast worthy of Wilde's creative genius.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

By:
Oscar Wilde

Narrated by:
Stephen Fry

Length: 5 hrs and 16 mins

Abridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
181

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
161

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
159

The Picture of Dorian Gray is the story of a man who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for eternal youth. As Basil Hallward, an aspiring artist, puts a few touches on a portrait of his handsome young friend Dorian Gray, Gray wishes that the portrait might grow old while he remains forever young. While Dorian Gray spends his life pursuing fresh experiences and new sensations, his looks do not change. However, the portrait, secretly hidden in the attic of his residence and with which he has grown increasingly obsessed, does.

Four classic comedies from one of the wittiest playwrights in Western literature: Lady Windermere's Fan, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, and The Importance of Being Earnest, all featuring star-studded casts with the likes of Jacqueline Bisset, Miriam Margolyes, James Marsters, Alfred Molina, Roger Rees, Yeardley Smith, Eric Stoltz, and many more. This audio also includes a chilling dramatization of Wilde's sole novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray.

There is now no doubt that not only is
Waiting for Godot the outstanding play of the 20th century, but it is also Samuel Beckett's masterpiece. Yet it is both a popular text to be studied at school and an enigma. The scene is a country road. There is a solitary tree. It is evening. Two tramp-like figures, Vladimir and Estragon, exchange words. Pull off boots. Munch a root vegetable. Two other curious characters enter. And a boy. Time passes. It is all strange yet familiar.

A tender love story, a serpentine villainess, a glittering setting in London society, and a showering of Wildean witticism are only a few of the reasons why this play has enjoyed hugely successful revivals in London, in New York, and on the silver screen. This 1895 drama is eerily prescient, as it examines the plight of a promising politician, desperate to hide a secret in his past. With empathy and wit, Oscar Wilde explores the pitfalls of holding public figures to higher standards than the rest of us.

Lady Windermere's Fan

By:
Oscar Wilde

Narrated by:
Samuel West,
Michael Sheen,
Derek Waring,
and others

Length: 1 hr and 37 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
42

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
30

Story

4 out of 5 stars
31

Oscar Wilde's first play confronts the hypocrisy of public "morality" compared with genuine, private kindness. The reasons for its continued popularity are not difficult to identify: the play's witty dialogue contains many of Wilde's most quoted aphorisms, its stylish setting provides opportunities for elegant presentation, and its cast of memorable characters play out a story which is genuinely moving. This new audio production brings together a full cast worthy of Wilde's creative genius.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

By:
Oscar Wilde

Narrated by:
Stephen Fry

Length: 5 hrs and 16 mins

Abridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
181

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
161

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
159

The Picture of Dorian Gray is the story of a man who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for eternal youth. As Basil Hallward, an aspiring artist, puts a few touches on a portrait of his handsome young friend Dorian Gray, Gray wishes that the portrait might grow old while he remains forever young. While Dorian Gray spends his life pursuing fresh experiences and new sensations, his looks do not change. However, the portrait, secretly hidden in the attic of his residence and with which he has grown increasingly obsessed, does.

Four classic comedies from one of the wittiest playwrights in Western literature: Lady Windermere's Fan, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, and The Importance of Being Earnest, all featuring star-studded casts with the likes of Jacqueline Bisset, Miriam Margolyes, James Marsters, Alfred Molina, Roger Rees, Yeardley Smith, Eric Stoltz, and many more. This audio also includes a chilling dramatization of Wilde's sole novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray.

There is now no doubt that not only is
Waiting for Godot the outstanding play of the 20th century, but it is also Samuel Beckett's masterpiece. Yet it is both a popular text to be studied at school and an enigma. The scene is a country road. There is a solitary tree. It is evening. Two tramp-like figures, Vladimir and Estragon, exchange words. Pull off boots. Munch a root vegetable. Two other curious characters enter. And a boy. Time passes. It is all strange yet familiar.

Devilishly attractive Lord Illingworth is notorious for his skill as a seducer. But he is still invited to all the "best" houses, while his female conquests must hide their shame in seclusion. In this devastating drawing-room comedy, Oscar Wilde uses his celebrated wit to expose English society's narrow view of everything from sexual mores to Americans.

5 out of 5 stars

thoroughly enjoyable performance

By
bookworm mummy
on
22-09-16

The Canterville Ghost

By:
Oscar Wilde

Narrated by:
Sean Murphy

Length: 1 hr and 22 mins

Unabridged

Overall

3 out of 5 stars
2

Performance

3 out of 5 stars
2

Story

4 out of 5 stars
2

This is Oscar Wilde's tale of the American family moved into a British mansion, Canterville Chase, much to the annoyance of its tired ghost. The family - which refuses to believe in him - is in Wilde's way a commentary on the British nobility of the day - and on the Americans, too. The tale, like many of Wilde's, is rich with allusion, but ends as sentimental romance.

Stephen Fry Presents a Selection of Oscar Wilde's Short Stories

By:
Oscar Wilde

Narrated by:
Stephen Fry

Length: 2 hrs and 13 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
230

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
95

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
95

"Oscar Wilde's Fairy Tales continue to exert the same pull over the imagination and emotions as they did when he first read them to his children in the 1880s. Written with inspired poetic intensity and sudden flowerings of the matchless wit for which he is so well remembered, the stories combine the wisdom of parables with the impact of drama."

5 out of 5 stars

A family favourite

By
Wendy
on
01-02-09

Collected Short Stories

By:
D. H. Lawrence

Narrated by:
Sinead Dixon,
Taylor Greaney,
Brian Kelly,
and others

Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
1

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
1

Story

3 out of 5 stars
1

This work contains the collected short stories of D.H. Lawrence: "A Modern Lover", "Her Turn", "Love among the Haystacks", "Mother and Daughter", "New Eve and Old Adam", "Rawdon's Roof", "Strike-Pay", "The Blue Moccasins", "The Mortal Coil", "The Old Adam", "The Overtone", "The Princess", "Things".

5 out of 5 stars

short stories

By
Mrs Romeo
on
27-01-19

The Noel Coward BBC Radio Drama Collection

Seven BBC Radio Full-cast Productions

By:
Noel Coward

Narrated by:
Alex Jennings,
Bill Nighy,
Celia Imrie,
and others

Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
29

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
26

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
26

Renowned for his wit, style and sophistication, Noël Coward was one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century. His plays, set in the glittering world of high society in which he lived, are much admired and have remained in the popular theatre repertoire to this day. This collection brings together the very best radio adaptation

5 out of 5 stars

Personally, I thought it was terrific

By
Gabriel Jianu
on
18-01-19

Notes from the Underground

By:
Fyodor Dostoevsky

Narrated by:
Brian Kelly

Length: 5 hrs and 3 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
5

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
5

Story

4 out of 5 stars
5

Dostoevsky's most revolutionary novel, "Notes from Underground" marks the dividing line between nineteenth- and twentieth-century fiction, and between the visions of self each century embodied. One of the most remarkable characters in literature, the unnamed narrator is a former official who has defiantly withdrawn into an underground existence. In full retreat from society, he scrawls a passionate, obsessive, self-contradictory narrative that serves as a devastating attack on social utopianism and an assertion of man's essentially irrational nature.

3 out of 5 stars

Tiresome after a while

By
T. Nicholls
on
22-12-18

Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde

In Aid of the Royal Theatrical Fund

By:
Oscar Wilde

Narrated by:
Dame Judi Dench,
Jeremy Irons,
Joanna Lumley,
and others

Length: 3 hrs and 54 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
85

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
51

Story

4 out of 5 stars
50

Here is a collection of the Oscar Wilde's famous fairy tales, read by a cast of leading British actors. Additional narrators include Geoffrey Palmer O.B.E., Sir Donald Sinden, and Elaine Stritch. Music: 'Reverie De Sebastian' by Steve Davies.

5 out of 5 stars

What a cast!

By
Frank
on
29-04-10

10 Masterpieces You Have to Listen Before You Die 2

By:
Jane Austen,
Charlotte Brontë,
Kate Chopin,
and others

Narrated by:
Brian Kelly,
Sinead Dixon,
Claire Walsh,
and others

Length: 74 hrs and 37 mins

Unabridged

Overall

1.5 out of 5 stars
7

Performance

1.5 out of 5 stars
7

Story

3.5 out of 5 stars
7

This Audiobook contains the following works arranged alphabetically by authors last names: "Emma" by Jane Austen, "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë, "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin, "Heart of Darkness" byJoseph Conrad, "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London, "The Dunwich Horror" by H.P Lovecraft, "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde.

Brought to life by Emma Thompson

By
Rhi07
on
19-09-18

The Awakening

By:
Kate Chopin

Narrated by:
Claire Walsh

Length: 4 hrs and 35 mins

Unabridged

Overall

3.5 out of 5 stars
3

Performance

3.5 out of 5 stars
3

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
2

When first published in 1899, "The Awakening" shocked readers with its honest treatment of female marital infidelity. Audiences accustomed to the pieties of late Victorian romantic fiction were taken aback by Chopin's daring portrayal of a woman trapped in a stifling marriage, who seeks and finds passionate physical love outside the confines of her domestic situation.

Around the World in Eighty Days

By:
Jules Verne

Narrated by:
Gordon Griffin

Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
17

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
14

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
14

The adventure begins in London on Tuesday, October 1st, 1872, when rich British gentleman Phileas Fogg gets in an argument with a group of friends. He enters a wager that sets him on a race to make it around the world in 80 days. Although the trip begins as planned with his valet Jean Passepartout, he is quickly mistaken as a bank robber by Scotland Yard detective Fix. Now being pursued on his journey, Fogg must quickly travel in order to win the wager, see the world, and avoid being apprehended for a crime he did not commit in the ultimate adventure story.

Summary

Algernon Moncrieff, a bachelor-about-town, has invented an invalid friend called Bunbury in order to get out of tiresome family engagements. At the same time, his friend Jack Worthing has invented a wicked brother called Ernest to disguise his own misdemeanours. When Algernon poses as Ernest to win the heart of Cecily Cardew, confusion reigns, and it takes the discovery of an old black handbag to reveal the truth...

Oscar Wilde's dazzling comedy about mistaken identities and secret engagements still delights audiences over a century after its first performance in 1895. This BBC Radio production, first broadcast in 1977, features Jeremy Clyde as Algernon, Richard Pasco as Worthing, Prunella Scales as Cecily and Maurice Denham as the Rev. 'Canon Chasuble' is the first broadcast of the original four-act version of the play.

"The Classic Radio Theatre" range presents notable radio productions of much-loved plays by some of the most renowned playwrights, and starring some of our finest actors.

The Extended Version - A Real Treat

Just want to say that this is a rare, uncut version of the play. Audible's other "Earnest" titles are of the abbreviated text usually performed. It's a real pleasure to hear Wilde's very witty lines - and a whole scene - which are routinely cut from productions.

If you already know "The Importance of Being Earnest" or other of Wilde's very funny plays, you'll be aware that the plot is pure fluff and silliness. I mean that in the very best way: Monty Python and P.G Wodehouse (What Ho, Jeeves!) owe a debt to Oscar Wilde.

This is obviously an older recording, but the sound is quite good. The performers are wonderful, tho perhaps less well-known that those on other versions. I enjoyed this thoroughly!

charming

what a wonderful play. Wilde ingeniously criticizes Victorian standards in such a way that one would have been delightfully charmed to be critiqued.

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Sue Smith

13-10-18

Best audio version

Directed and acted with real genius and verve, and amusing sound effects. The dialogue appropriately runs at a fast clip. I've read, heard, or seen this play at least 20 times but this BBC version still made me laugh and revealed hidden jokes and parallel actions. I listened to nearly all the Audible samples of this play and found this one the most accomplished.

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Charity Winters

04-01-18

Still wildly laughing after all these years.

Would you consider the audio edition of Classic Radio Theatre: The Importance of Being Earnest (Dramatised) to be better than the print version?

Yes, I listened to the performance while reading the work and the performance added another dimension to the work.

What did you like best about this story?

This is a relevant story.

Any additional comments?

I used this performance to study for a graduate level literature exam and did very well on the exam. I recommend this as a study resource.